SPORTS UPDATE
It is expected to be a massive challengefor internet personality-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul on Friday night when he takes on two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. The eight-round sanctioned Paul vs. Joshua boxingmatch will take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, with the Joshua vs. Paul walkouts expected at around 10:30 p.m. ET. Netflix has the exclusive coverage.
Paul is a massive +1100 underdog (wager $100 to win $1,100) in the latest Joshua vs. Paul odds at DraftKings, with Joshua favored at -1100 (wager $1,100 to win $100). Joshua is -390 to win by KO/TKO/disqualification, with odds for Paul to win by the same methods priced at +1300 and a draw priced at +2500. Oddsmakers don’t expect Joshua vs. Paul to go the distance, as DraftKings has that listed at -500, with No at +330. The Over/Under for total rounds is 3.5. If you are new to betting on boxing you can get information on how to wager on the sport with our boxing betting guide.
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SPORTS UPDATE Joshua vs. Paul fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKingsSportsbook
- Anthony Joshua -1200 vs. Jake Paul +700, heavyweights
- Alycia Baumgardner (c) -1400 vs. Leila Beaudoin +750, unified junior lightweight title
- Anderson Silva -275 vs. Tyron Woodley +210, cruiserweights
- Jahmal Harvey -3500 vs. Kevin Cervantes +1300, junior lightweights
- Cherneka Johnson (c) -900 vs. Amanda Galle +550, undisputed bantamweight title
- Caroline Dubois (c) -3500 vs. Camila Panatta +1300, WBC lightweight title
- Yokasta Valle (c) -1400 vs. Yadira Bustillos +700. WBC strawweight title
- Avious Griffin -600 vs. Justin Cardona +400, welterweights
- Keno Marley -10000 vs. Diarra Davis Jr. +1800, cruiserweights
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SPORTS UPDATE Where to bet on Joshua vs. Paul
Here are Paul vs. Joshua betting promotions available to new users at sportsbooks that take bets on boxing:
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SPORTS UPDATE Joshua vs. Paul preview
This could be a turning point in Paul’s hyped careeras he has been yearning to be taken seriously as a fighter but is widely expected to be crushed Friday night. It is also a major risk for Joshua, who is no longer at his peak but isn’t ready to hang up the gloves yet.
Both fighters are getting huge paydays, and bettors are looking for their own hauls, with 83% of DraftKings bets on a winner coming in on Paul and 95% looking for it to go the distance. A whopping 95% of bets made have the fight going Over 2.5 rounds.
Joshua is using this as a tune-up fight for a potential showdown with Tyson Fury next year, and he isn’t taking it lightly. Early skepticism and rumblings that the fight is somehow not on the up-and-up have the former champ fired up. He says anything short of a first-round knockout would be a failureand he even made controversial comments about killing his opponent in the ring.
The 36-year-old gives up eight years to Paul, but he is 5 inches taller at 6-foot-6 and weighs about 27 pounds heavier, with Joshua coming in just below the contract-stipulated 245-pound threshold. Joshua also has a 6-inch reach advantage and a massive experience edge on Paul.
Joshua has a 28-3 professional record with 25 knockouts, and his three career losses have come to Oleksandr Usyk, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Daniel Dubois. His last fight was a fifth-round loss via knockout to Dubois in September 2024, and he needed elbow surgery following that fight. Joshua has also been in the ring with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin and has been in 13 world-title fights. In addition to holding the unified heavyweight title twice, Joshua won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics when he edged Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle in a super heavyweight bout in his hometown of London.
Joshua is hoping to avoid a major misstep as he eyes a chance to settle the question of who the best British heavyweight of the generation is. Assuming he wins Friday, Joshua expects to fight another tune-up in early 2026 before what he hopes is a fight against fellow two-time world heavyweight champion Fury this time next year.
There have been rumblings about the matchup for more than a decade, and a fight was agreed to in 2020 before Deontay Wilder threatened legal action that forced Fury to fight him instead. Talks are ongoing, and Fury has indicated he will come out of retirement again to face Joshua if the right deal can be reached.
Paul has the advantage of youth and has fought twice in the 14 months that Joshua has been out of action. He is 12-1 in his career with seven knockouts, but the 28-year-old has mostly faced retired UFC fighters and aging boxing stars. His only loss was by split decision against Tommy Fury in February 2023, and he has won six fights since then. He defeated a 57-year-old Mike Tyson by unanimous decision in a widely-panned fight last November, and Paul’s most recent bout was a unanimous decision over 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June.
A fight against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis was expected in November, but unrelated Davis legal issues derailed those plans. Paul’s other fights have included bouts with former UFC stars Nate Diaz, Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley.
Paul vs. Joshua will consist of eight three-minute rounds, and the fighters will wear 10-ounce gloves, the standard for heavyweight bouts. There are nine fights on the undercard, including four title fights in lower weight classes.
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SPORTS UPDATE Paul vs. Joshua picks, best bets
Expert Josh Nagel has locked in his value picks for the Joshua vs. Paul bout and is only sharing his picks and analysis at SportsLine. You can also check out what many former fighters are saying about the fightbefore you place any bets.
